Monday, October 21, 2013

While hearkening back to that grim day on Nov. 22, 1963, the appetite for all things Kennedy has been ratcheting up all season, and the media world is eager to feed the public’s interest with books (there are more than 100), as well as dozens of movies, documentaries, TV specials, and iPad apps.

The challenge for the Kennedy anniversary projects, according to those involved, is to be respectful when recalling a national tragedy, while at the same time finding ways to stand out in a super-saturated field. That’s led to some creative (and unusual) efforts to say something fresh about historical events that already have been dissected for five decades - for example, in perhaps the most extreme bid to find a new angle, there’s even a book imaging what would have happened had Kennedy lived.

“The public just can’t get enough,” said Shana Capozza, the director of marketing and publicity at The Globe Pequot Press, which is promoting three new JFK books: “Where Were You? America Remembers the JFK Assassination,” “Kennedy and Reagan: Why Their Legacies Endure,” and “JFK in Ireland: Four Days that Changed a President.”

“When you think about how many different ways that story can be told — on an historical, personal, political, or cultural level — you recognize that the increased public interest in the Kennedys because of the looming 50th anniversary offers a plethora of opportunities for authors and publishers to engage with and fulfill the needs of readers on a number of different levels,” Capozza told POLITICO.

And plethora it is: “Parkland” hit theaters last month and tells the story of the assassination and its aftermath from the perspective of the medical staff Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, where Kennedy was pronounced dead. Magazine racks are filled with special anniversary editions from Vanity Fair, The Atlantic and LIFE, which first brought the Zapruder film to the American public, and has a new book out featuring the complete Zapruder film.

Traditional book publishers are leaping at the opportunity as well — perhaps more so than any other platform. A search for “JFK” on Amazon finds more than 100 books with a publication date between September and December. One examines the five days surrounding the assassination, another just the day of Nov. 22, 1963 and a third takes a look “minute by minute.” Other works examine the assassination in novel form. There’s even a spoof on the “Choose Your Own Adventure” series, dubbed “Lose Your Own Adventure.” More seriously, another book takes a look at what might have happened if Kennedy hadn’t been shot.

“For a book publicist, there is no better time to be working on a book about JFK,” said Lorna Garano, the founder of Lorna Garano Book Publicity, which is promoting, “The Hidden History of the JFK Assassination” by Lamar Waldron. “If you have a credible book with new information or an original perspective, you’re almost guaranteed media interest.”

“There is an entirely new generation to be introduced to the Kennedys, and it may be through all of the exhibits, books and movies that will spring up,” said Jayne Sandman, principal at BrandLinkDC.

Aimed at that new generation is anniversary digital content. The NBC affiliate in Dallas-Fort Worth, KXAS, has made an iPhone app, called “NBC 5 Remembers,” which “offers unique historical insight into events leading up to and surrounding that tragic day.” University of Virginia politics professor Larry Sabato’s new book, “The Kennedy Half-Century: The Presidency, Assassination, and Lasting Legacy of John F. Kennedy,” also has an app coming with audio of the Dallas police dispatch from the day of the shooting.

Hugh Morton, who has been trying to bring his “Who Killed JFK?” app to the market, says, “There’s plenty of room for everyone in many diverse media, old and new, provided they keep their projects grounded in fact and not get carried away with demeaning and confusing rumor and innuendo.”

For moviegoers who’ve may already have seen “Parkland,” Warner Bros. is re-releasing Oliver Stone’s 1991 film “JFK” in theaters and on Blu-Ray. The Smithsonian Associates will also screen Stone’s film at the National Museum of American History on Nov. 1, followed by a sold-out discussion with the director.

Friday, October 18, 2013

From Raindance film Festival
As your filmmaking career starts to grow, it’s crucial that your actions don’t
strangle it in its infancy.
By avoiding the mistakes that so many filmmakers make you have a far greater
chance of succeeding well beyond the first 2 years of the launch date of your
career.

1. Doing Too Much Yourself

Business owners as well as filmmakers fall into this trap as they attempt to
minimise costs. It can mean that you will get bogged down in the day-to-day
nitty gritty, keeping you from stepping back and taking a good hard look at the
future. Future planning, and with it, the ability to anticipate problems, are
two important areas successful filmmakers have to keep control of. Doing too
much can mean that the fire-fighting cycle just keeps repeating over and over
again.

Coupled with that is the guilt associated with neglecting family and personal
relationships. This often leads to exhaustion and collapse.

Why not call for extra help before you need it, and not after the cracks have
begun to show, and usually, it is too late.

2. You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know

Most independent filmmakers start their career because they are really good
at something. Some are really good at directing action, others have a flair for
working with actors, and others are just good solid all-rounders.

What many filmmakers forget is that it is a business which involves a host of
different skill sets. They forget that filmmaking requires the basic business
management skills such as: sourcing new clients and work, marketing and
publicity, recruiting new crew and staff, and managing the cash flow questions
that any small business has. Add into this the creative mix and you have the
potential for a meltdown.

Running and more importantly, developing and expanding your movie career is
like growing and developing any type of business. It is unlikely that you will
have the expertise to do everything needed yourself.
Successful filmmakers learn to recognise their own skills and knowledge and
take action to fill the gaps in their career plan.

3. Quitting The Day Job Too Quickly

A filmmaker or screenwriter’s passion in what they are doing is usually so
high that they enjoy some intital successes and revenues. They then quit their
day jobs and hire premises and staff – only to face psychological and financial
ruin when their early successes have been a minor blip on the long hard haul to
a successful career.

Everyone needs money in order to survive. Make sure you are able to cover
your monthly expenses before you ditch your day job. Often people try to get
film work, but don’t know how to
get work without experience.

Done correctly, you might be able to apply for funding or enjoy certain
strategic tax benefits depending on your personal profile and the geographical
territory you live in.

Why We Must Speak in "Visual Story"

About Me

Harold Hay is an award-winning writer, producer and director, who lives in Florence, Kentucky. He has produced numerous television shows, including 180 videos and “The Zone,” which aired on over 200 stations in North America and 15 television networks worldwide. His programs have been honored by both the NRB and the GMA for best program of the year. He is the author of the recent book, “The Red Pill, The Cure for Today’s Mass Media Culture,” which is considered a definitive work on the state of media and culture. He also has created a faith-based educational program for high school students who are interested in pursuing a career in media, film or TV. Currently, he is the president of Flannelgraph Ministries and the founder of Media Missionary School